Jerk Food Finds a Home in Chicago
Even though the Jamaican population in Chicago is relatively small, the city is flush with restaurants serving jerk-style foods. Why are there so many? And what is authentic jerk cuisine?
Mar 09, 2023•20 min
Curious City
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Episodes
The Life and Legacy of Alice Hamilton
Scientist Alice Hamilton’s investigations into toxins in Chicago’s factories led to some of the first workplace safety laws in the country. She was known for her “shoe leather” epidemiology, wearing out the soles of her shoes from all the trips she made to Chicago homes, factories and even saloons to figure out what was making people sick. Reporter Edie Rubinowitz has her story.
Mar 02, 2023•16 min
Two Southside families trace their roots back to Chicago’s earliest days
You’ve never heard of the Atkinsons or the Bernsteins. But these are two historic Chicago families and in big and small ways, they have left their mark on this city.
Feb 23, 2023•28 min
Honoring Black History in Chicago: The impact of Ida B. Wells on Politics and Cadillac Baby on the Blues
Reporter Arionne Nettles brings us two stories honoring Black History in Chicago: The legacy of Ida B. Wells who empowered Black people to claim political power here. And the tale of Cadillac Baby, Nettle’s grandfather, who helped establish and nourish the Blues industry in Chicago.
Feb 16, 2023•19 min
Car Window Tinting Laws are Complicated (and hard to enforce)
Curious City takes a look at the growing popularity of car window tinting in Illinois. We find out what the state law says about how dark automobile windows can be, who enforces these laws -- or not -- and why some people have safety concerns about them.
Feb 09, 2023•22 min
Police accountability and the power of Chicago’s mayor
With the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis police officers, the people and mechanisms that hold cops accountable are in the spotlight once again. It’s something we talk about often here in Chicago. Later this month, city residents will be voting for mayor, and whoever wins that race will sit at the head of a large-and growing-police accountability system. We’ll take you in a deep dive into that system, and update you on how a years-long battle for more citizen involvement in that sys...
Feb 02, 2023•22 min
Is There A Way To Save Altgeld Gardens’ Memorial Wall?
The uncertain fate of a hand-lettered memorial wall in the Far South Side Altgeld Gardens community has Curious City digging into how such memorials and other valued local murals and artwork might be saved from destruction, even if they are not officially national landmarks.
Jan 26, 2023•38 min
Why once migratory geese are now permanent Chicago residents
Geese have the only flights in and out of Chicago that aren’t delayed. But seriously…we find out why the once-migratory Canada geese decided to make Chicago their permanent home, why these birds have become a nuisance, and what’s being done to keep their population in check.
Jan 19, 2023•13 min
The Avalon Regal Theater's Eclectic History And Troubled Future
The Avalon Regal Theater in South Shore has almost a century of cultural significance. Since 2003, it’s sat mostly empty. What will happen to it?
Jan 13, 2023•30 min
What’s it like to be a snow plow driver in Chicago?
A Chicago snow plow driver who’s been on the job for 40 years tells us what it’s like to keep the roads clear of snow and ice. Plus, we find out about the time Chicago made a Floridian class of kids thrilled when we shipped them a bunch of... our snow.
Jan 05, 2023•19 min
Fried Shrimp, Cricket and K Streets: The 2022 Holiday Grab Bag
We put all of the questions that you submitted in 2022 - nearly 700! - into a giant bag, and we’ve pulled a few out to answer all at once including Where to find the best Shrimp, the history of Cricket Hill, all the lettered streets west of Pulask, and more.
Dec 29, 2022•20 min
Two for the Winter Season
We revisit two questions from winters past: how the city breaks up the winter ice on the Chicago River, and in honor of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, the history of Chicago’s Jewish migration throughout the city and beyond.
Dec 22, 2022•18 min
We look at the past-and present-of tree planting in Chicago
This week we dive into the history of tree planting in Chicago, find out why trees are so important to us and our city, and talk to people who are working to get trees planted in the neighborhoods that need them most.
Dec 15, 2022•19 min
Curious City Turns 10!
In the spirit of our show, and our inquisitive listeners, we decided to ask some about ourselves and Curious City’s humble beginnings, with founder Jennifer Brandel.
Dec 08, 2022•31 min
Chicago's Biodiversity, From Eastern Red Bats To Prickly Pear Cacti
We start in the Chicago loop, then head south to the Powderhorn Prairie and Marsh to discover the area's rich flora and fauna.
Dec 01, 2022•16 min
Watch out, big grocery chains – co-ops are coming
Unlike other cities and towns in the Midwest, food co-ops never really caught on in Chicago. But with grocery chain mega mergers and the sky-high price of food, there's been a big uptick in interest for co-ops. We'll tell you the history behind co-ops, take you inside some that are already operating and tell you about several that are in the works.
Nov 24, 2022•15 min
How Devon Avenue Became Chicago’s Little India
Devon Avenue has long been known as Little India, but the diverse West Ridge strip has become home for many and is still evolving today.
Nov 17, 2022•16 min
Lions and tigers and Chicagoans! How we all stay warm through Chicago winters
We've been experiencing some warm days in and around Chicago. But winter is coming. This week, we've got a couple of classic Curious City stories about staying warm. One features folks who work outside during the bitter Chicago winters, the other features some furry friends from the Lincoln Park Zoo.
Nov 10, 2022•15 min
We answer your questions about voting for judges
It’s election season. And Injustice Watch’s Maya Dukmasova joins us to answer your last-minute questions about that lengthy part of the ballot lots of voters avoid: judges.
Nov 03, 2022•16 min
The Haunting of Rainbow Road in Barrington, Illinois
A house on Rainbow Road in Barrington, Illinois is shrouded in mystery. Former residents say they’ll never return. Some locals say memories of the property still chill their blood. So, what really happened at 92 Rainbow Road?
Oct 27, 2022•24 min
Chicago’s Golden Age of Pro Wrestling
From carnival shows to the early days of television. In this week’s episode: How pro wrestling grew up in America and had a flashy, sporty heyday in Chicago.
Oct 20, 2022•40 min
Faith-based organizations often work together to support Chicago’s immigrants
For decades, Chicago has received a steady stream of refugees who have made the city home after escaping war and political conflict. They have come from countries like Bosnia, Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan. More recently, several thousand asylum seekers came to the city on buses from Texas. Many of the institutions and organizations helping these newcomers to resettle are faith-based. On this week’s episode we take on a question about how faith-based groups approach this kind of work from a listen...
Oct 13, 2022•23 min
Coming out later in life
Former WBEZ host Tony Sarabia produced an audio documentary titled “Unlocking The Closet'' back in 2000. Tony, who came out later in life, wanted to share the stories of others who’d also finally felt ready to take this step. The documentary recounts the coming out stories of queer people who grew up in the 1950s and early ‘60s. While a lot has changed, many queer Americans still don’t have a safe space to come out. Curious City pulls this documentary out of the archives to recognize October 11 ...
Oct 05, 2022•30 min
Dunning Asylum A 'Tomb For The Living'
For a long time, Chicagoans were scared of Dunning. The very name “Dunning” gave them chills. People were afraid they would end up in that place. Today, the Chicago neighborhood, out on the city’s Far Northwest Side, looks like a middle-class suburb. You’d never know there was once an asylum there. On this episode we revisit the history of the Cook County Infirmary, later known as Chicago State Hospital but to most, simply “Dunning.”
Sep 29, 2022•14 min
How So Many Chicago Bars Got Old Style Signs
You’ve likely seen these signs hanging outside bars in Chicago. Pale yellow, almost white with the red-white-and-blue Old Style logo in thebig top square with a bottom partition that reads “Bottles and Cans,” “Cold Beer,” “Cerveza Fria” or even “Package Liquor”. Well there’s a reason so many of those signs still light up Chicago bars. Reporter John Fecile uncovers this mystery in this week’s episode.
Sep 22, 2022•14 min
Illinois is abuzz with bees, but their future is uncertain
A listener noticed her garden didn’t seem to have as many bees as usual buzzing about this summer. She wondered if the population in Illinois was on the decline. Curious City reporter Adriana Cardona- Maguigad finds out how the bees are doing and why experts are worried about the bees.
Sep 15, 2022•12 min
Chicago teens went to dance and find connection at Medusa’s
Medusa’s was “like a community center for weirdos and freaks and everybody else in between,” say some Chicagoans who went there as teens in the 1980s and ’90s. In this week’s episode Axios Chicago reporter Monica Eng finds out how the club got started, what it was like to hang out there and why, despite its popularity, it closed its doors in 1992.
Sep 08, 2022•22 min
Chicago’s Buckingham Fountain and Why the City’s Got So Many Alleys
Growing up, one listener heard tales about how an engineer was hidden inside Chicago’s Buckingham Fountain in order to make sure the water spouts out each day. This week we go inside the innards of the fountain to see how it works and learn the history behind it. Plus, we get the answer to the question: Why does Chicago have so many alleys?
Sep 01, 2022•17 min
The Underground Railroad in Chicago and Illinois
Abolitionists in Chicago and Illinois helped freedom seekers reach Canada, and freedom.
Aug 25, 2022•18 min
What happened to Chicago's Japanese community?
Lakeview once had a thriving Japanese community, but it fell victim to a push for assimilation. As one Japanese-American puts it: “You had to basically be unseen.”
Aug 18, 2022•15 min
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